Completing the ADMA TranS4MErs Scan is the best way to start your advanced manufacturing transformation journey.
ADMA TranS4MErs supports small to medium manufacturing enterprises to digitally transform into factories of the future. We help them identify priority areas for transformation, and fund services to support their transformation journey through the ADMA SCAN.
The SCAN is based on seven key transformation areas related to the themes of Industry 4.0.
Today we are focussing on the third area, ECO Factory, guided by Paulo Lissa. Paulo Lissa is a TranS4MEr – an expert advisor on hand to guide manufacturing companies – from Irish Manufacturing Research (IMR). As an Energy Technologist, he is responsible for planning, development, and execution of the Sustainable manufacturing research roadmap under the area of renewables and energy efficiency to assist companies on their journey to net zero manufacturing.
Eco Factory
This transformation area builds on eco-production, offering companies advantages such as cost reduction, risk reduction in raw material and energy supply, and a company's social responsibility image.
These advantages can be achieved through different initiatives. For instance, more sustainable materials can be used as an alternative replacement in the production process, which can have a better recycling and re-use rate compared to the previous material, thus reducing waste. Moreover, it may have the potential to reduce transportation costs as the scrap disposal is lower, and also in case the new material can be lighter and easy to transport.
Another important part of eco-factory is smart resource management. An integrated production process can be designed to reuse water, waste heat, or other resources, from another process in the chain. As an example, the waste heat stream from a frying process in the food industry can be used to heat water, which can then be used for different purposes such as heating a building. Another alternative for waste heat is using it for cooling purposes through absorption chiller technologies, or even converting it to electricity.
Energy is always an important topic for Eco Factory, and understanding how to operate the production process in the most efficient way may be a challenge. The increasing number of renewable energy production on-site adds complexity to the overall energy system, but users can get costs and carbon emissions reduction if self-consumption is leveraged to balance energy consumption and production, through the use of smart energy management.
TranS4MEr recommendations
The ADMA TranS4MErs network spans the whole of the EU, bringing together expert service providers to create a comprehensive catalogue of services, focussed on digital transformation for manufacturing companies.
Completing the ADMA TranS4MErs Scan is the start of an advanced manufacturing transformation journey. If the result of this scan shows that the SME needs to focus on this area, the next step is to select suitable services from Service Providers and integrate them into the Transformation and Implementation Plan.
Such services could include, for example, the following:
| TITLE | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
|
Energy profile
|
Assessment of energy production and consumption to identify optimisation opportunities. |
| Reuse/Recycle materials | Assessment of alternative materials in a specific production process |
| Resources management | Understand the use of resources, such as water, waste heat, exploring potential for reuse. |
| Carbon emissions assessment | Identify the main source of carbon emission and possible alternatives for reduce it. |
Get involved
The 2nd ADMA TranS4MErs Open Call for Design Phase was launched on April 3, 2023. Join the Transformation Programme and take the first step towards becoming an efficient, resilient, and globally competitive Factory of the Future!
Do you want to know more? Reach out to our TranS4MEr Paulo Lissa on the ADMA TranS4MErs xChange Platform.